At present, a lot of websites and tools have accessibility barriers that make it challenging or completely impossible for some people to utilize. ADA compliance audit has been a buzz phrase in the Internet realm for quite some time, and at this point it is important that businesses should be aware of it. When websites are properly designed, coded, and have compliant content, people especially those with disabilities can easily use them. Making your website accessible benefits both various individuals and your business too because if more people can access your website, it has a greater opportunity and a larger possibility for success.
Maximum online presence and accessibility brings a lot more to the table than what you can imagine. The benefits of accessibility includes but are not limited to:
- Better customer experience
- Strengthened brand reputation
- Less legal risks
- Broader market share
Aside from the benefits, when developing an accessible website, businesses should strongly consider the ADA. The most relevant sections of ADA to web accessibility are:
Title II requires state and local governments and governmental entities receiving federal funding to provide qualified individuals with disabilities with equal access to their programs, services, or activities.
Title III prohibits “places of public accommodations such as restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, museums, and hospitals from disability-based discrimination.”
And while these sections do not directly address web accessibility, websites are definitely a part of businesses that is why it should be compliant.
With these considerations in mind, here are easy ways to make your website available and valuable to all users:
Use Images with Alt Text
For blind users and those with low vision, visual elements are an accessibility barrier. To address this, you can utilize Alt Text to describe your images to disabled users, and it is important to do so in a clear and accurate manner.
Enable Users to Enlarge Font Sizes
Small text sizes are a burden for people with low vision. They use larger font settings when browsing through a website. You may consider having a style sheet that has the ability to have larger text without compromising the page layout to make it easier for people with impaired vision to read your content.
Choose Colors Wisely
Choose color layouts according to accessibility guidelines instead of heavily basing it on your personal taste. You should not only choose color layouts by considering the overall aesthetic for your brand. Bright colors may be too intense for people with higher photosensitivity. For people with color blindness, having contrast lines will help them in making sense of the visuals on the website.
Optimize Navigation
Navigation is a challenge for visually impaired users. Make sure that Braille keyboards are compatible with your website. Disabled users should be able to access all interactive elements of your website such as the Call to Action (CTA) buttons, forms, and dialogue boxes, among others.
For millions of people who have motor skill difficulties, they use tech such as speech recognition software, screen readers, mouth sticks, etc. to be able to make full use of computers. That being said, make sure that your website is fully configured to allow the use of these techs.
Make Video and Multimedia Content Accessible
These two elements in your website play an important role in user engagement. For deaf users who can not hear audio, use text captions on video and audio tracks. Meanwhile for visually impaired users, use audio description to describe visuals. Finally, make use of an accessible multimedia player on your website.
Design Forms for Accessibility
Make sure that forms in your website are screen-reader friendly. To do this, make sure that each field is properly labeled in a position that is close to its respective box. For error messages, give direct instructions when a box has been skipped or filled out incorrectly.
Optimize Links
It is best to use link skipping which lets visitors skip unnecessary information and get to the things they are actually interested in more easily. Remember to properly describe the link destination and use descriptive names for the accessibility optimization process.
Considering all the ways to make your website accessible, it can be a tedious process when you do not know where to even start, but there are a multitude of resources to refer to as you begin to audit the website yourself. However, it is important to remember that there are also third parties or agencies who specialize in this process and can professionally help you achieve accessibility on your website in collaboration with your team. When the internet provides the easiest ways to communicate and reach out to people who experience a disability, it is important that we exert the effort in making sure that they are well accounted for particularly in the front door of your business— your website. After all, developing an accessible website not only creates a successful business, it is also the morally right thing to implement.